PlotPoint

I was told the one bushing is in two pieces,so I guess it is time to repair (in fact, way past time to repair). Want to know if any of you would pay $650 to replace the bushings with OEM parts (includes labor). I am not an DIY so that is out of the question. But pretty sure that is way below what the dealership would charge. Older car now and it is finally needing some suspension components replaced.

UNCNOR

iTrader: (1)

Please post pictures when you have them.Thanks.

djamps

Seems a little steep but not too much, figure parts at $350 or so and the labor shouldn't take more than 1 hr tops I had mine out and back in that amount of time and I'm no pro. There's a youtube vid on replacing them if you know anyone more mechanically inclined to help you save about $300 bucks with a relatively simple DIY. When I replaced mine it made such a huge difference in the steering and ride quality. With a torn one I can't imagine how much slop you're going to reel in.

mappo

Is that $650 quote to replace just the bushings in the existing strut rods or to put in new rods with new bushings? It sounds a little steep just to press out and in a couple new bushings, so hopefully it's to replace the whole strut rods.

dicer

Okay what strut are we all talking about? There are the struts that have the spring surrounding them with a crappy little rubber bushing at the bottom that connects to the lower control arm that mooshes out in a new KYB strut. And then there are the diagonal struts that maintain the caster angle and have to jel filled bushings at the front.
And then the little link struts to the anti sway or anti roll bar.

PlotPoint

Guess I am done with this shop. They charged $200 and change PER (oem) bushing. I don't know why I did not check up on their quote before I had the work done -- let my guard down, I guess. Anyway, after the repair was done, I did look up the part on mylsparts.com and it was the same as what they charged me, so that was a relief. However, I think they overcharged me on labor ... I paid for 3 hours for a 2 hour job (if that). The other reason I am having "buyer's remorse" is that after the repair was done I asked to see the part. I am not questioning that the strut rod bushings needed to be replaced, but what he showed me was just the bushings themselves...they were not attached to any arms or other pieces of metal. Yet when I look at that part online (and even though this shop does not list part numbers on their invoices I know what I was paying for because the price I paid per part matches the online price for that part exactly, down to the last cent). And that diagram shows that the bushing is "in"/part of another arm. So that rather than popping a bushing out, wouldn't he have just replaced the entire piece with the bushing in it? Yet what he showed me was a bushing only. I know what a bushing looks like, because I looked it up.

I am going to look into this more and post back. I just want to be sure I got the part I paid for!

The new bushings did clean up some of the slop in the front, btw. Braking feels a lot more solid -- noticed it right away. However, it did not resolve any of the clunking noise which is my next problem to solve.

djamps

If I had a bench press I would have done what your shop did and save some $$$ by just changing the bushings. I bought the (more expensive) whole arms to save the hassle.

PlotPoint

It's "mylparts.com" (not mylsparts.com). Front strut rod bushings show as part #4867450030. It shows a bushing in a metal sleeve attached to an arm of some kind. Yet when the mechanic showed me the old bushing it was just the bushing itself (not in a metal sleeve and not attached to anything). I can always take the car and have someone take a look at what they did, but I was just curious if anyone here can take a guess as to whether I got what I paid for.

With tax, i wound up paying a little more than $700. They definitely padded the labor by an hour. Turns out I could have saved about $80 by buying the parts online and then finding a mechanic who would install for 2 hours labor.

PlotPoint

If you look at mylparts.com, they don't sell the bushing separate from the sleeve/arm. It comes as a unit. And each bushing costs $208 + or -.

These shops should be required (by law) to list parts#s on their invoices. They leave them off for a reason!

djamps

Part no. 48674-40051 for the bushing itself. ~$60 ea.

dicer

I really don't get the fussing about paying for the services done and or over paying. Absolutely no one fusses about over paying for a new car, and besides that's how a business is run, they have over head and other bills to pay. And if you think its so easy to do just do it and don't take it to have it done. Also just remember after you do that cheap little bushing you then need to realign the suspension. So if you don't charge for the service how then do you pay for your $30,000 plus alignment machine?

Losiracer2

Check your sway bar end links for play and also replace your sway bar bushings. This elminated the clunking I was getting over speed bumps at parking lot speeds of 5mph or so. You don't have to go OEM with these parts, I went to O'Reilly auto parts and bought some links for 15.99 and they solved the problem fine. They also come with a lifetime warranty so anytime a joint fails, take it in and they'll swap them out for new ones.